Shovels hit the ground Wednesday kicking off the first phase of East Tennessee’s first “Rails-to-Trails” project — the Tweetsie Trail — a 10-mile pedestrian-friendly path from Johnson City to Elizabethton.

The commotion lasted about 30 minutes and included Rails-to-Trails Task Force members, officials from both cities, contributors and about 50 additional guests attended the groundbreaking at an area that will become the project’s main trail head at Alabama and Legion streets in Johnson City.

A press conference at the site signaled the start of a fundraising effort in which a goal of $200,000 has been set for completion of the initial phase, as well as news of recent donations totaling $60,000 for the naming rights of four of the seven bridges along the route.

The Tweetsie Trail’s first section will offer recreational opportunities along a 6-mile linear trail connecting the Alabama Street trail head in Johnson City and Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area in Elizabethton. The task force has raised about $135,000 so far, and the estimated construction cost for the entire project is about $530,000.